Anderson Directs Seventh GRAND OPERA IN AN INTIMATE SETTING 6/4-10

He knew nothing about opera for most of his career. Then a friend offered him a free ticket to the Metropolitan Opera, and suddenly Doug Anderson, known as a director of musicals, became obsessed with the world of opera.

"Sitting there at the Met I could feel my life changing," says Anderson. "This was something I had to explore. But who would hire me to direct an opera? I thought I'd probably have to build a theater and create an opera Company Before I'd get the chance."

Which is precisely what he did. Anderson spearheaded the restoration of Middlebury's Town Hall Theater, a 10-year effort that has resulted in a state-of-the art facility in downtown Middlebury.

Simultaneously he worked with friends from the Music Department at Middlebury College to create the Opera Company of Middlebury. While the theater was still under construction the company debuted in 2004 with Bizet's Carmen.

Grand opera in a town of only a few thousand? It seemed like a crazy idea, for a number of reasons.

"The theater at the time had no air conditioning, and the temperature in the house on opening night was about 90 degrees," says Anderson. "We also had about 50,000 bats living in the building, who seemed to get particularly riled by the high notes."

And yet Carmen was a sold-out hit. The singers, drawn from the area as well as auditions in New York City, were world-class. "So many singers have come here at a young age and have gone on to major careers," says Anderson. Tenor YongHoon Lee, who sang Don Jose in that first production and returned the next year to sing Cavaradossi in Tosca, will make his Metropolitan Opera debut this December. "He sings all over the world and always mentions OCM in his program notes," says Anderson proudly. "His Vermont experience meant a lot to him."

The Opera Company of Middlebury has grown each season, presenting more elaborate productions with ever-larger orchestras. The company's slogan - "Grand Opera in an Intimate Setting" - captures an important part of its success. At only 232-seats, the theater is one of the smallest venues in the country to house a professional opera company. The combination of operatic emotions and the audience's close proximity to stage produces a powerful effect.

But central to the success of the company is Anderson, who has staged every production since the company's inception, and has a hand in designing the sets.

"Seeing a production directed by Doug Anderson is a little like participating in a secret cult," says Middlebury resident Scott Morrison, who writes reviews of classical music recordings for Amazon.com. "When word gets out about an upcoming Doug Anderson production those in the know experience a shiver of excitement and clear their calendars. You can never anticipate what one of his productions will be like, but you can be sure that it will be creatively staged and emotionally fulfilling. Why hasn't the Met used him yet?"

Anderson approaches each new opera with no preconceptions. "A function of our small size is that it forces us to bypass conventional ways of staging. Heavy representational scenery just isn't possible in our small house, which is good, because I don't much like heavy representational sets. The challenge is to create the maximum effect with a minimum of means - which, if you think about it, is what good art is all about."

Anderson's way with singers is unique as well. "I treat them like actors," he says. "You can get away with being stiff and obvious in a 4000-seat house. They can't tell from the balcony. But in an intimate house you have to do everything a real actor does - communicate, risk, play honestly. Nothing looks worse here than phony opera gestures and clichés. A lot of my work is stripping those away to find something essential and honest underneath."

Singers are grateful for the experience. One said, "I love his process, the discovery, the creation, and it's honestly never been more fulfilling." Reviewers have noticed as well, praising the company's fresh approach. Writing in the Addison Independent, Nancy Maxwell wrote: "Consider yourself warned. Whatever Doug Anderson has up his operatic sleeve next, get tickets. Or you'll miss the party."

The next opera up Anderson's sleeve is the seldom-produced gem by Georges Bizet, The Pearl Fishers. After six seasons of producing "warhorses" - operas like La Bohème that are enormously popular with audiences - Anderson has chosen a more obscure work. "I think one of our jobs as a company is to teach, to expand everyone's understanding of the operatic repertoire. This is a fabulous opera, written before Bizet got around to writing Carmen, and it shows his brilliance on every page."

Returning to OCM to star in the production is Suzanne Merrill. When she played Mimì in the OCM La Bohème, a reviewer called her "an opera lover's dream diva", with a "magnificent and expressive voice."

"It's very gratifying that singers like Suzanne like to come back here," says Anderson. "It means we're doing everything right."

The Pearl Fishers will be presented at Middlebury's Town Hall Theater at 8 pm on June 4, 8 and 10, with a 2:00 pm matinee on June 6. For Tickets: www.townhalltheater.org, 802 382-9222, at the THT Box Office (Mon-Sun, noon-5 pm).

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